Confessions of a Best Woman
by Stuck in Your Fairytale
Summary: AU. Miley Stewart has just learned she's the Best Woman for her friend Oliver's wedding. Too bad she's in love with him and hates his new fiancée. It's a good thing Nick Lucas, the Maid of Honor, is there to help out, or she might not survive. NickMiley.


**Confessions of a Best Woman  
**_Chapter One: _Jodine the Lawyer

"Jodine? Her name is Jodine?" Who names their daughter Jodine? I don't even know what era that's from, but it sounds old to me. Besides, Jodine Oken sounds terrible. It sounds like a lawyer's name, and no one likes lawyers. Especially not Oliver.

"It does not sound like a lawyer's name! And I do not _mind_ lawyers." Oliver protests and I blush slightly. I need to work on not saying what I think out loud. "And besides, I like her name. I think it's cute."

I roll my eyes. Ever since I came back to town for school and he told me about his newest "squeeze," as I like to call them, he's been acting like a lovesick teenager. Which is totally sad because he just turned twenty-four. Which, as I've pointed out to him before, is too young to get married.

"It is not too young, Miles!" Whoops. "Look, the point is, I love Jodine and I'm marrying her. I don't need your judgment. I didn't call you here to ask for your opinion; I called you here to ask you to be my Best Man. Or Best Woman, in this case." He stops looking angry and looks at me with a hopeful expression.

I freeze for a moment. In theory, I should have seen this coming. I mean, I'm really the only family Oliver has. It's sad to say, but true. His parents died when he was young and my family took him in. I'm his best friend and sister. Kind of sister, anyway. I look at him and it's like he already knows I'm going to say yes.

"Is this even legal?" I ask, only half-teasing. I'm pretty sure weddings aren't supposed to work this way. He visibly relaxes and chuckles, nodding.

"Yes, it is legal, Miles. It's a wedding, not a law. It's gonna be really cool; Jodine's having her best friend, Nick, be the Maid of Honor. Or whatever he is. The point is, we're kind of switching. Isn't that so cool?" Oliver's smile brightens to about one hundred watts.

I fake a smile with false enthusiasm. "So cool!"

Oliver launches into a speech about what my duties as "Best Woman" are. Apparently, I'm going to have to perform tasks, or whatever they're called, with Nick, the "Maid of Honor," like help pick out the rings and go to the meetings and such. I just really hope I like this Nick guy, I think as Oliver goes on and on about the wedding. It'd suck if I didn't, seeing as we're going to be spending quite some time together. Not that this whole wedding doesn't suck anyway.

Did I mention I'm in love with the groom-to-be?

When I came back to my humble hometown of Seaview, I was honestly expecting nothing to be different from the way I had left it. Selfish, I know, but true. I had gone to Tennessee for a few months to visit some family members before I started my final year of college. Before I had left, Oliver and I developed this… _thing._ We had admitted feelings for each other (granted, we were drunk, but still, it counts) and got _really_ close to sleeping with each other (that is, until he passed out on my couch). I left the next morning before he could wake up, but I had remembered everything that happened the night before. I figured when I returned we'd talk to over and give "us" a try.

Instead, I return to find him madly in love with a girl named Jodine and myself the "Best Woman" for their wedding. Apparently, he had completely forgotten about our little discussion that night and any feelings I may have still had for him.

_Great_.

"Miles, are you even listening to me?" Oliver chuckles as he sips his coffee, leaning back against his chair. I look up at him with slightly widened eyes.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, of course. Now, about this Nick guy…"

* * *

It turns out Nick doesn't live far from my apartment.

Right down the street, actually. He's also one year older than Jodine and me and one year younger than Oliver. He's a music producer for a record company downtown and owns one dog. Oh, and he's single and enjoys long walks in the park. It's much more than I need to know, but Oliver was never one to shy away from details.

I'm meeting him at Starbucks in ten minutes. Of course, being me, I'm here already, and now I'm waiting anxiously for this kid to show up. Oliver said he wanted to be here, but he has a "thing" he has to do. Coward.

I look down at my cell phone. Seven minutes. Call me old-fashioned, but isn't the guy supposed to be early, too? Okay, so it's not exactly a date, and it's not like he's _obligated_ to be here early or anything but still, it would have been nice. A girl likes to feel like she's worth something to get excited over.

Six minutes. I should have gotten a coffee or something. I still have time to. Then again, when he comes in and sees me with a coffee half-drunken, he'll know I was here early, and might think I think this is a date or something. Or that I was over excited to meet him, while he could obviously care less. Then again, having a coffee could mean I didn't over-think the situation like I'm doing.

Five minutes.

_Ding._

I look up and see the most attractive and beautiful man in ever seen in my life. Okay, so that's a bit of an exaggeration. But he _is_ very attractive. He's wearing a blue button-up and trousers, and he looks a bit frazzled. He has really soft looking chocolate curls that I just want to run my hands through and big, brown eyes. I look down at my frayed jeans and old top. Couldn't I have worn something more attractive and less… Casual?

Now he's heading over to the table. Well, he caught on fast. Was it my staring? Or did Oliver just provide a really good description of me and possibly a photo? I decide on the latter and stand up when he reaches the table. I flash him my best smile and hold my hand out. "You must be Nick."

He takes and nods, smiling an incredibly cute smile. "Yep, that's me. And you must be Miley." I nod and we sit down. "Sorry I was late, I had a meeting that run a bit long." I'm about to tell him how he's actually five minutes early but I manage to stop myself. Because, as I remind myself, _who was counting?_

"That's alright," I say with an understanding smile. "I wasn't waiting long."

_Lie._

"Good, good." He smiles again and glances at the menu board, then back at me. "Did you not want a drink?"

"Oh, no, I had something before I left." I mentally curse myself for two things: being so stupid as to not getting a coffee when I first walked in and saying something as stupid as "I had something before I left." Could I be any more pathetic?

If Nick notices my stupidity, he doesn't show it. He just smiles again and nods. "Oh, alright. Do you mind if I –"

I shake my head before he can actually tell me what he wants to do. "No, go ahead." We exchange more smiles and he gets up to go in line. His back faces me and I take a moment to appreciate his… Backside. You can't blame me for being a girl and taking interest in the opposite sex.

I'm about to fix my hair when he looks at me. He sends me an apologetic look, probably because of the long line he just got into, and I wave my hand dismissively. _There you go Miles,_ my conscience tells me, _Act cool._

When he finally returns and sits down, I realize I'm not exactly sure what the point of this meeting is.

"_To get to know each other," Oliver says when I ask why he's instructing me to meet Nick Lucas, Jodine's Maid of Honor. "You guys are going to spend a lot of time together and I want you to be friends."_

I remember Oliver's instructions and decide to spark a conversation. "So, um," I rack my brain for a topic, "How long have you known Jodine for?" Good. Safe topic. He sets down his cup after taking a sip and I _really_ regret not getting a coffee beforehand.

"Well," he starts, and I take a moment to appreciate his finely sculpted lips, just as I did with his backside, "Our mothers were best friends and practically raised Jodine and me together. I guess we've just always managed to stay in touch and close with each other." I smile.

"That's sweet," and I genuinely mean it, too.

"Mhmm, I know." He says, but not in a cocky way. He takes another sip and I internally sigh. "What about you and Oliver?"

"The same, I guess." I shrug. "We were close but when he was little his parents died and my family took him in, and we just became closer. And now, years later, nothing's changed and we're still close." Really close. A bit _too_ close, I remind myself bitterly.

Nick seems to notice my bitterness but, thank God, he decides not to comment on it. He just nods in understanding. "That is also cool." I smile a bit awkwardly before remembering a question I had for him.

"So, Nick, I'm going to ask you a question and I'd appreciate it if you answered honestly." He nods and I smile slightly. "I don't really know Jodine. Or at all, actually. I just found out they were getting married yesterday, so I don't really know what she's like. Do you think she's right for Oliver?" I know he and Oliver have met because Oliver hasn't stopped raving about this guy since I got back.

He chuckles softly and waits a moment before answering. "Honestly, a few months ago, if I had to have chosen a guy for Jodine, I don't know if I would have chosen Oliver." Uh-oh… "That being said, now that I've seen them together, I can't think of any couple more perfect for each other."

I try to smile but I can't. I feel a pain in my chest, as pathetic as it sounds, and I think Nick notices. He's smiling at me sympathetically and I wince because there is nothing I hate more than people feeling sorry for me. So I muster up a smile and nod.

"Good, good. I love Oliver – like a brother – and I would hate to see him get hurt."

"I know, I know." He nods and my smile turns a bit more genuine.

Nick and I continue to talk for a little bit, about the wedding and our duties as Best Woman and Maid of Honor, before he gets called into work again. He finally finishes apologizing and promises to call me later. He's out the door before I can remind him he doesn't have my number.

I sigh and lean back in my seat. Even though I have a very attractive Nick Lucas as my "Wedding Partner" or whatever, this wedding is still going to suck. Immensely. And I know it's selfish to say because, after all, Oliver is my best friend and I should want him to be happy, but I can't help how I feel.

Well, technically I can, but that's beside the point.

I let out one more long self-piteous sigh before getting up to finally get that coffee because, God damn it, I deserve one.

**It'll get better, I promise. **


End file.
